The Smog Cutter
"The Smog Cutter" is the first episode of the third season of the streaming series Bosch, and the twenty first episode of the series. The episode premiered on Amazon Instant Video along with the rest of the third season on 21 April 2017. The episode is rated TV-MA for "adult content, adult language," and "graphic violence". Summary Sixteen months have passed since Bosch found his mother's murderer. On election night, Ramos is re-elected mayor in a landslide since the video of the O'Shea/Waits incident portrayed O'Shea as a coward. A man in a trailer is murdered, which is witnessed by a street kid nicknamed Sharkey (Bridger Zadina). Bosch tracks a murderer, Ed Gunn, who got away and is also followed by a mysterious man (Jared Ward), who's unknown to Bosch. After leaving a restaurant, a glass Bosch drank from is stolen by the same mysterious man. Maddie is revealed to be now living with Bosch who, to Bosch's chagrin, demands driving lessons. Bosch testifies in the case of Veronica Allen but is portrayed as a corrupt cop by the defense attorney, which results in a mistrial. Ramos again begs Irving to accept the Police Chief job to be permanent, but Irving refuses. Bosch preps the trial of Andrew Holland (John Ales) with DDA Anita Benitez (Paola Turbay), where he's taunted by a retired detective, Rudy Tafero (Arnold Vosloo). Bosch and Edgar are assigned the murder of the man found in the trailer who the officers responding dismiss as a homeless on homeless crime. This disturbs Bosch, as the man has a military tattoo. Billets is told by her new Captain, Ellen Lewis (Brooke Smith), that Bosch is a liability. O'Shea tells Bosch he won't re-try Veronica Allen, and Bosch angrily replies O'Shea is weak, which is caught on cameras and posted online, further harming Bosch's already damaged reputation. Irving is approached by Walker (John Getz), a member of the police commission, who also insists the city wants him as Chief. O'Shea demands Irving rein in Bosch. Bosch and Edgar identify their body as Billy Meadows and talk with his family, who tell them Meadows started using drugs after returning from war. Billets shows up at Bosch's house and tells him that he's become more erratic since solving his mother's murder. A black man on a bike attacks a woman in Koreatown. After his daughter goes to sleep, Bosch continues to watch Gunn on cameras he illegally set up. Teaser A street kid going by the handle Sharkey, is spraying his signature tag on the wall beneath an overpass when he's startled by a dark SUV that pulls a sharp U turn, and he takes cover behind a truck. Shots are fired inside a nearby RV, and the SUV tears away from the scene. Sharkey enters the RV and finds the body of a man who's been killed by a shot to the head. Sharkey quickly flees the scene. Bosch sits in his home, listening to news reports of the November 8, 2016 elections. The reporter relays that Mayor Hector Ramos has won a second term, defeating Republican challenger and current District Attorney Rick O'Shea. An unidentified cyclist rides past a down town bar, the Smog Cutter. Inside Ed Gunn tries to order another whiskey but Shaz, the bartender, attempts to cut him off. He reminds her that his drinks are being covered by Jesse Tafero, and she reluctantly pours another. Gunn suggests she have one for herself; so she checks with Tafero who gives her the okay. Bosch's viewing is interrupted by a call from Officer Webster at Rampart Division. He says he has Gunn in custody and picked up an alert to contact Bosch. Bosch asks Webster to keep Gunn awake and heads over. But by the time he arrives, Gunn is passed out in a pool of his own vomit. Webster apologizes and quizzes Bosch about his interest in the drunk. Bosch explains that Gunn is a suspect in a cold case--the murder of a series of young women. He plans to return in the morning when Gunn is likely to be awake. Bosch heads home along Sunset Boulevard, and when he gets there, goes into his daughters room, where he lovingly covers her and strokes her hair before switching out her light. Still troubled, he steps onto the balcony for a cigarette. Act One Gunn is helped home by a young woman, Marissa, who holds him upright as they go through the security door to his building and upstairs to his apartment. He directs her to his door, where she lets him in, slams the door, and hurriedly leaves. Chief Irvin Irving visits the grave of his son, George. Bosch is up and ready for court as Maddie emerges. She comments that he looks smart but tired, and he's ready for court and was up late watching the election returns. Maddie jokingly plays dumb but then lets him know that she's aware of the outcome already. She points out that she's almost old enough to vote and presses him to let her obtain her driver license. Bosch and Maddie drive in together, and she quizzes him about the trial, noting that he's already testified. He explains that the defence attorneys have held their cross examination of him until the end of proceedings. Maddie asks if Veronica Allen is guilty of murdering Father Tabakian, and Bosch states his certainty. Maddie detects that Bosch has been smoking and doesn;t hide her disappointment. He promises to quit again and throws his cigarettes out the window, but she chastises him for littering. Before she gets out of the car, Maddie pushes Bosch for a promise that he does give her. Bosch heads back to Rampart to check in on Gunn and is annoyed to find that he's already out of the drunk tank. The watch sergeant, Suzuki, explains that Gunn was bailed out by a bondsman working for AAA Bail. Bosch wonders who would bother to pay to bail out a drunk who was about to be released anyway, and Suzuki speculates that it would be his friends or family. Bosch angrily retorts that Gunn has no friends. Bosch is furious to have missed an opportunity to question Gunn and demands that Suzuki ensure that next time he get his interview. Irving is surprised when his secretary, Ida, announces a visit from Mayor Ramos. He stands to receive the Mayor and his chief of staff Jen Kowski, and states that he would have happily come to them. Ramos explains that he's making his victory lap and has come to thank Irving. Kowski relays that Irving's endorsement was crucial in securing the win and tells him that he's a popular figure around the city. Ramos asks Irving why he hasn't made use of the Chief of Police's office, noting that it's nicer even than the Mayor's. Irving says he's comfortable remaining in his Deputy Chief's office and doesn't want to give anyone the wrong idea. When Ramos says he knows Irving has received other offers, Irving says he hasn't accepted them but that he still plans to step down at the end of the year. Ramos says that gives him more time to convince Irving to change his mind Bosch is cross-examined by Honey Chandler. He reiterates that Allen was covered in blood and distraught when he arrived at the church. Chandler asks him to describe the scene inside Father Tabakian's office. Bosch describes the body and the nearby murder weapon, a heavy trophy. He also notes that a pair of scissors had been placed under Tabakian's hand. Chandler focuses in on Bosch's conclusion that the scissors were planted by Allen to support a self defense argument. Then she brings up Bosch's involvement in a suit where he was accused of planting evidence. Bosch truthfully reveals that the jury found for the plaintiff in that case. Deputy District Attorney Amanda Scones follows-up with questions that allow Bosch to clarify that there was no judgement that Bosch had planted evidence and that the plaintiff was awarded just one dollar in damages in that case. O'Shea watches from the wings as Bosch is allowed to step down. Chandler calls for Mrs Allen herself to testify next, but Scones notes the late hour, and the judge agrees to recess until the following day. Bosch picks up a takeout meal from El Compadre, where he and the waitress, Gladys, know each other by name. He finishes a drink he'd ordered while waiting and leaves the glass on the bar. After he leaves Jesse Tafero takes his place at the bar. Over dinner Bosch and Maddie talk about the difficulty of reaching Eleanor, as she is living in Hong Kong. Bosch tells Maddie not to whine, just try. Maddie asserts that she's not whining and observes that Bosch has been working late a lot. He cites the upcoming Holland trial as the reason, but Maddie notes that he's been spending a lot of time with Deputy District Attorney Anita Benitez and doesn't seem happy about it. Bosch says the trial's in a few weeks and that the next day he has court in the morning before they head over to Holland's house to revisit the crime scene. He also confirms Holland will be there, as he's under house arrest. Maddie is interested in the personality of the accused, film director Andrew Holland. Bosch describes him as a creep and is perturbed when Maddie notes that she's seen his films but confirms they are creepy. Maddie asks to attend the trial, but Bosch refuses, saying that it is a murder trial, not an entertainment. Maddie disagrees, noting that the salacious details of the case (director kills aspiring actress during sex) have grabbed the public's attention. She also says her friends think it's cool Bosch arrested him. Act Two Bosch and Edgar return to court the following day to hear Allen's testimony. She tearfully explains that she had approached Father Tabakian to recover funds stolen from her by her husband's mistress. Then she falsely claims that Tabakian threatened and assaulted her. She builds a credible story of self-defense and is careful to express her remorse. Outside the courtroom, Edgar approaches O'Shea who expresses his concern within earshot of Bosch that Allen may have succeeded in swaying the jury, given that Chandler was able to paint Bosch as a potential dirty cop. O'Shea tells Edgar that his office will let the detectives know when a verdict is reached, which he predicts will happen the next afternoon at the latest, and storms off. Edgar asks if Bosch is headed back to the station, but Bosch says he needs to meet with DDA Benitez about the Holland case. Edgar observes that Benitez is attractive and close to Bosch's age. He suggests Bosch ask her out, and Bosch replies that they are working together. Edgar wryly points out that hasn't stopped Bosch in the past. Bosch and Benitez meet at Holland's home to go back over the crime scene. They're joined by Holland's attorney, Fowkkes, and his investigator, retired detective Rudy Tafero. From inside the house, Holland makes a show of photographing Bosch as they meet on the driveway. Bosch sardonically suggests that Holland would be allowed to join them, despite being under house arrest. Benitez states the facts of the case: Donatella Spear arrived at Holland's place at 8:32 p.m. on October 21, 2015, as shown on the security data and video of his expensive home. The video was stopped, but the security data confirms that someone left the house at 11:20 p.m. and that the main gate didn't open for another fourteen minutes. Fowkkes claims that the time lapse was Holland driving Spear home, but Bosch asserts that she was already dead by then. Fowkkes and Tafero say the couple was inebriated and still engaged in consensual sexual activity while making their exit. Bosch counters that Holland spent the time trying to put a seatbelt on Spear's corpse. Benitez notes that the gate reopened when someone returned home at 1:52 a.m. Bosch says that Holland told them he dropped Spears at her home at midnight and returned by 12:30 a.m., which leaves almost ninety minutes unaccounted for. Fowkkes argues that his client was inebriated and made a mistake. Tafero questions why Holland would lie about timings that could be checked so easily, and Bosch cites Holland's arrogance. Tafero counters that Bosch would know something about arrogance. Bosch asks Tafero if he misses police work, and Tafero answers that he doesn't, because he;s not a "lifer" like Bosch. Bosch accuses him of spending his twenty-year detective career just going through the motions but that "pimping for celebrities" is low, even for a "bottom-feeder" like Tafero. Tafero counters that Bosch should have pulled the pin a long time ago and taken retirement, but that he has no life outside of his work and predicts that when the department forces Bosch to retire, he will kill himself. Bosch and Benitez next drive to Spear's home. They note the journey took 40 minutes in traffic which would equate to approximately ten minutes in the middle of the night. Benitez tells Bosch that she's visited at night and that the driveway is dark and well concealed. They talk over the lack of evidence at Spear's home. Benitez notes that the place has been wiped clean and that signs of a struggle appeared to have been staged there. She theorizes that Holland had help moving the body and staging the scene, and Bosch suggests Tafero might have been responsible. Bosch regretfully predicts that Holland will beat the case in court because he's a semi-famous director with an expensive lawyer. Benitez is more hopeful but knows that Bosch's testimony is important to challenge the defense's theory that Spear's killed herself accidentally through auto erotic asphyxiation after Holland had left. Their discussion is interrupted by a call from Detective Edgar, who tells Bosch they have a fresh case. Bosch and Edgar report to the scene of the shooting in the RV,where they're met by Officers Julius Edgewood and Ray Powers. Powers was first on the scene. They tell the detectives that Inside the RV is a dead white male, approximately 30 years old with cause of death an apparent single gunshot wound to the back of the head. The animosity between Powers and Bosch is obvious, as Bosch asks if he gloved up, which calls back to Powers discovering Tony Allen's body in the trunk of his car and contaminating the scene with his prints. Powers also says the body has been "cooking," and when they open the door, the detectives are overcome by the stench of the decomposing body. Bosch recognizes a military tattoo on the decedent's arm that's in Latin, which essentially translates to, "I was an oppressed man. Now I'm free." Edgar can't take it anymore and bails out of the RV, stating that the coroner and crime scene technicians can handle it. Bosch asks Powers if he ran the plates on the RV, and Powers is annoyed by the question. He hands over a name and address for the registered owner, a male from Eagle Rock. Bosch wants to know who called it in. It was a shopping cart lady. The lock was busted, and people went in and out, stealing stuff. Bosch notices the fresh graffiti, and Edgewood states that he might be able to produce the tagger. Powers is dismissive, calling the shooting a homeless on homeless drug murder that they will never clear. Bosch quotes his credo "Everybody counts, or nobody counts". Powers remains antagonistic, stating that something written on the wall at Robbery Homicide Division doesn't necessarily hold true in the streets. As Edgar steers Bosch away, Bosch tells him that the tattoo means the victim was in a special forces unit. Edgar points out Bosch has one, too Lieutenant Grace Billets makes awkward small talk with Captain Ellen Lewis as they wait for coffee to brew at the Hollywood Station. Lewis has heard that the Allen defense used Bosch's reputation against the prosecution case. Billets stands up for Bosch, stating that despite the accusations, no one has ever proven wrongdoing on his part, but Lewis thinks that where there's smoke... Lewis changes the subject to the Captain's test, congratulating Billets for passing the written exam. Billets expresses her apprehension about the orals, but Lewis tells her the oral portion of the test will be right up her alley. Biletts confronts her, but Lewis just dismissively walks away. As night falls on Los Angeles, the mysterious cyclist traverses Koreatown while controlling a second bike with a hand on the steering column. Act Three Act Four Cast Starring * Titus Welliver as Harry Bosch * Jamie Hector as Jerry Edgar * Amy Aquino as Grace Billets * Madison Lintz as Maddie Bosch * Jeri Ryan as Veronica Allen * and Lance Reddick as Irvin Irving Guest-Starring *Yancey Arias as Mayor Hector Ramos *Paul Calderón as Detective Santiago Robertson, a seasoned detective investigating the murder of a vet who has a history with Harry *Barry Shabaka Henley as Detective Terry Drake *John Getz as Bradley Walker, President of the Police Commission *Verona Blue as Janice Shaz, bartender at The Smog Cutter *Monti Sharp as Clifton Campbell the mysterious man on a bicycle involved in the Korea Town Killer (KTK) murders *Beth Broderick as Judge Sharon Houghton *Frank Clem as Ed Gunn *Brooke Smith as Captain Ellen Lewis, Hollywood Station *Paola Turbay as Deputy District Attorney Anita Benitez, who is trying the Holland case, and has a brief relationship with Harry *Arnold Vosloo as Rudy Tafero, an investigator working for the defense on the Holland case * Bridger Zadina as Sharkey, a young street boy who is key to one of Harry's cases Co-Starring *Justene Alpert as Marissa Marta *Jared Ward as Jesse Tafero *Daya Vaidya as Jen Kowski, Mayor Ramos' Chief of Staff *Joni Bovill as Ida, Chief Irving's secretary *Deji LaRay as Officer Julius Edgewood *Ryan Ahern as Officer Ray Powers Crew Opening Credits #Laura Schiff CSA - Casting #Carrie Audino CSA - Casting #Helen Geier CSA - Casting #Jesse Voccia - Music #Titus Welliver - Producer #Jeffrey Fiskin - Consulting Producer #Elle Johnson - Co-Executive Producer #Daniel Pyne - Executive Producer #Henrik Pabst - Executive Producer #Jan David Frouman - Executive Producer #Pieter Janne Brugge - Executive Producer #Henrik Bastin - Executive Producer #Michael Connelly - Executive Producer #Eric Overmyer - Executive Producer #Michael Connelly - Based on the books by #Eric Overmyer - Developer #Eric Overmyer - Writer #Adam Davidson - Director Closing Credits Notes Reception Episode * "(Bosch 3x01)" Category:Bosch episodes